Stowaway
by RintinDestiny
Summary: After another not so routine pit stop the Storm Hawks find that an uninvited guest has made it onto the Condor. But when this vigilante unexpectedly asks for help how can the team know to trust this "guest"? And what is the true motive behind their proposition...to delve directly into the heart of Cyclonia.
1. Chapter 1: Pit Stop

Storm Hawks: Stowaway

**Soooooo, I'm a bit behind times in the fact that I only just found the wonderful series Storm Hawks. I had heard of it when it first came out but never really watched it until now. Tell me what you think of the story and I'd be happy to get any feedback :) Thanks and Godbless - Rin**

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Chapter 1: Pit Stop

"We're doomed!" Stork muttered to himself as he frantically fiddled with the controls of the Condor, the gauges flicking wildly as they began a steep nose dive towards the Wastelands.

"What's going on Stork!?" Finn demanded as he hung on for dear life to a railing, his feet flying up as weightlessness over took the ship.

The rest of the Storm Hawks were frantically trying to figure out what was going on with their Condor before they ended up being turned to ash in a lava pit.

Aerrow was trying to help Stork from crashing the Condor while Junko was turning various valves and realigning pipes that had started to steam and burst open. Radarr was running around frantically before clinging to Finn's head as Piper was running diagnostics on the rapidly spinning energy crystals which seemed to be working fine...except for the whole crashing ship part.

"According to the system readings our main combuster is shot...we're going down." the merb said matter-of-factually, his yellow eyes wide in dread.

"Not without a fight we aren't!" Aerrow growled, and heaved on the controls of the carrier.

"Junko! See if you can try to do a temporary patch on the combuster, we just need to be able to make it to a repair terra." the Sky Knight called out, the needles on the controls spinning wildly as they did a dizzying barrel roll.

The wallop nodded quickly and made for the engine room as Piper and Finn struggled to hang on to the pitching and rolling Condor. For several terror filled moments Aerrow spun the large ship back and forth in an attempt to slow their descent but nothing could stop the Condor as it passed through a thick layer of clouds.

Radarr gave a high pitched screech as the ship began to shake violently, shutting his eyes tightly and clung tighter to Finn's head.

"Come on Junko!" Finn yelled, feeling his stomach flip flop as turbulence overtook the ship.

Stork screamed, curling up in a fetal position with his hands covering his face, "We're not gonna make it! The Condor is doomed to burn in a fiery pit of magma and fire slugs!"

The ship came out of the clouds and everyone screamed as directly below, the smoking maw of a burning volcano appeared.

_**BOOM! **_

A shuttering roar rocked the ship and something whirred into life below deck, making the ship swerve suddenly, just missing a razor sharp crag of rock.

"All clear Aerrow!" the voice of Junko came over the intercom and there was a shout of victory from the others.

"We're so outta here!" the Piper shouted, as the Aerrow pulled sharply on the controls and the nose of the Condor pulled upwards just short of scraping the bottom on the perilously close volcano. Slowly, the relic of a ship rose through the heavy mist and clouds until it leveled out and came to a unsteady halt.

Within the ship there was a few moments of tense silence in which the battered Storm Hawks picked themselves up off the floor, limbs shaking slightly. Radarr simply lay on the floor as if he were made of jello.

"We're...alive?" Stork finally broke the silence and peeked out from behind his hands before standing wobbly to his feet.

Aerrow stepped aside so the helmsman could look over the controls, wiping the sweat off his brow.

"Systems are holding steady...for now." the merb muttered, tapping one of the gauges before turning to look at the panting Aerrow.

"Then let's not waste any time. Set a course for the nearest repair terra." Aerrow ordered and the ship started forwards before it suddenly dipped dangerously.

"And let's try not to crash this time." he added with a nervous grin.

* * *

"So this ole wreck is going to need more than a new combuster. It's main crystal converter in in a sorry state and the boiler wouldn't have held out more than a few hours." an oil covered repair man said, glancing at the docked Condor warily as if it were to fall to pieces any minute.

"But can you fix it?" Aerrow asked, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

This had been the fifth break down that their air ship had had that month. Everything from the cooling systems to the simplest pipeline had been suddenly coming undone. Nothing as severe as the main combuster breaking though, that had nearly grounded the Condor.

"Aye, I can fix her. It'll take a good few hours though." the repairman said, scratching his stubbly chin.

"Then I guess we're stuck here for a while." the red head sighed and turned to leave.

"Thank you for your help."

The man gave a low chuckle, "Don' be thanking me yet sonny. Thank me once I get this ole beast back into the air."

Aerrow nodded and then exited the smokey repair hangar.

"So..." Piper asked once Aerrow had rejoined the squadron outside by the air docks.

"He says he can fix the Condor, it might take a while." their leader said, glancing from face to face until he stared at Stork.

"You gonna be okay buddy?" he asked, noticing how the merb flinched at the word _while._

Stork nodded stiffly, "Oooh yes. I'll be fine just as long as the old man doesn't wreck my ship!" he muttered and crossed his long arms across his chest.

"Don't worry Stork, the ship will be fine!" Finn smiled broadly and put a hand on his squad mate's shoulder.

"How about we find something fun to do in the mean time?" the blonde winked and elbowed the grumpy looking merb.

"We may as well stock up on supplies and get something to eat, if we're going to be here a few hours." Piper shrugged and started towards the large building set in the middle of the small terra, closely followed by Stork and Aerrow.

"Mmhh..." Junko hummed dreamily, "Food sounds good." he began thinking of what sort of delicacies the small nearby inn held.

After about a half hour of supplies shopping, the Storm Hawks made their way to the small inn/pub and all sat down at a small table in the corner. Exhausted by the days events and the thought of having to stay for a couple more hours. Within a few minutes each of them had ordered some food and drink and they chatted quietly in the buzzing pub.

"Can't believe the Condor is in such bad condition. We've had to replace almost everything important on it lately." Piper said, her head resting on her folded arms.

"Can you really blame the ship? The things we put it through on a daily basis would wreck most normal cruisers." Stork said, his arms still stubbornly crossed, feeling he had to defend his beloved vessel.

The rest of the squad nodded reluctantly in agreement, they did put the Condor through it's paces an awful lot. Whether it be out running Merk Raiders, dodging Cyclonian attacks, escaping the Wastelands, or simply racing to get to the next terra their ship was almost constantly in motion. And it wasn't a new ship by any means.

"Atleast we're getting most of the problems fixed today, hopefully the ship will be good as new." Aerrow gave a hopeful smile that did nothing to cheer up Stork.

_'At least he's handling it better than when we traded it for a new ship and it got taken by the Colonel. He ended up almost losing his mind with Sky Shock.' _the Sky Knight thought to himself as their food arrived.

Most of them had simply gotten soup or a sandwich, of course Junko hadn't been that easy to please. He ended up getting...well the team didn't actually know what it was. It looked like some one had taken a fish and let it sit out for several days before it started to grow moss and other mushroom looking things all over it. To add to the...uniqueness of the dish some weird green sauce had been dribbled over the fish that smelled like a mix of pickles and old socks.

"Um...Junko what is that exactly?" Finn asked, his face turning slightly green as he plugged his nose.

"It's called the Ramien special!" the Wallop said, a huge smile coming over his face as he stared down at the slightly steaming plate and grabbed a fork.

Ravenously, he dug into the dish and began eating noisily, the smell of the Ramien whatever being pushed further across the table.

"I think I lost my appetite..." Piper muttered, pushing her soup bowl away as she waved a hand in front of her nose as Aerrow laughed.

Several people turned to stare at the group and the slurping noises that were coming from Junko but soon turned back around as they saw what exactly the wallop was eating. Aerrow sighed but smiled slightly, as odd as his squadron was he loved every single one like family.

That's when a sharp noise made Aerrow turn his attention to Radarr who was perched on his shoulder. The furry copilot hackles had gone up and his eyes were narrowed to furious slits. The sharp sound was actually a growl making it's way up out of Radarr's throat.

"Hey, hey. What's got you spooked?" Aerrow asked, trying to follow the copilot's gaze through the hazy pub.

"Probably mind worms." Stork said casually, peering closely at Radarr as he continued to stare unwaveringly forward.

The Sky Knight glanced around the pub and finally his emerald eyes caught what Radarr was growling at. Across the room sat a figure in a small corner booth, their hood conveniently covering their face as they simply seemed to stare back. Slowly, as the figure saw that Aerrow had caught sight of them, the hood turned and continued to stare at the wooden cup clutched in their hand.

"It's all right Radarr..." the squad leader muttered, not wanting to make a big deal about it to his team mates and simply looked away.

Finally, after a few minutes, Junko finished his dinner. This allowed the rest of the Storm Hawks to get their appetites back and finish their meal. The whole time Aerrow kept a sharp eye on the figure across the pub, noticing that they never ordered any food and simply continued to look either at their lap or at the other pub goers.

"Hello! Earth to Aerrow?" a hand obscuring the red head's vision snapped him out of his observations and he blinked rapidly.

"What? Sorry..." he said, glancing at Piper who's hand it had been in his face.

"I said are you ready to head out? We should see if the Condor is ready to go or not." she asked.

"Oh, yeah. We probably should get going since it's starting to get dark." he answered, standing up from the table.

Soon the Storm Hawks had paid for their food and were about to head out the door when Aerrow glanced back across the pub to the far corner table. A shiver went down his spine as he saw that the table was empty save for an empty wooden cup that had been knocked over haphazardly.

"I really hope the Condor is ready to go Radarr." he said, to his furry companion who gave an uneasy growl.

"I don't want to stand here any longer than necessary."


	2. Chapter 2: Vigilante

Storm Hawks: Stowaway

**Aaaaaand here is chapter 2! Again, I'd love to hear what you guys have to say about the chapters :) Thanks to Penpal678910 for being my first reviewer!**

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Chapter 2: Vigilante

"Well, took longer than I reckoned it would but I got 'er fixed up and ready to go." Butch (Aerrow had just found out the repair man's name) said with a tired smile.

It was extremely late, a little past midnight, and the Storm Hawks were utterly exhausted from the events of the day.

"Thank you again for all the work you put into it. We're just happy she's up and running." Aerrow returned the smile and saw Butch glance over curiously to Stork.

The merb was currently hugging the side of the docked Condor, "Some more happy than others."

"Ain't a problem there Sky Knight. Jus' take it easy the next few days and this ole carrier will serve ya well." Butch said back, wiping his oil covered hands on an already extremely stained rag.

Aerrow thanked the repair man once more before helping to put away the rest of the supplies that they had gotten and prepared the Condor for a night flight.

"Alright team, let's head out and then get ready to settle down for the night. We have to get to Terra Atmosia to see how the remains of the Aurora Crystal are doing." the Sky Night ordered and was supported with a loud yawn from Junko.

It only took a few more minutes before the Condor backed out from the dock and was soaring gracefully away from the small, dark, terra. Aerrow listened carefully as they sped up, keeping an ear out for any clunks or ticks which would indicate anything was wrong.

Nothing. The Condor simply hummed contentedly as Stork piloted through the clouds.

"It's fixed!" he exclaimed, and sat down with huff on the couch as the others cheered happily.

Stork nodded, "It's beautiful." the merb whispered almost dreamily before he turned back to look out at the glowing moon.

The Sky Knight had to agree as his stifled a yawn of his own and leaned back into the couch.

"I think it's time we all headed to bed before the rest of our journey tomorrow." he muttered, glancing over at Radarr who nodded sleepily in agreement.

Aerrow must've been more tired than he first thought because the next thing he knew he sat bolt upright on the couch in pitch darkness. The others must have not wanted to wake him and simply went to their own beds he realized, even Radarr was gone.

At first he felt rather confused that he had woken up suddenly and for seemingly no reason. He was usually a very sound sleeper and it took more than just shake or sound to get him up.

Glancing up at the clock he could just make out that it was a quarter passed four in the morning. Still several hours before any of the others would wake up.

"Still a bit before I have to get going." the Sky Knight muttered to himself and prepared to lay back down on the couch when there was a slight _tink_.

Small sounds on board the ship weren't unusual, mainly they were caused by the ship's engines cooling or just the ship itself being old and settling. But for some reason the hairs on the back of Aerrow's neck stood on end at this noise and he sat back up, his ears pricked for any other sound.

It was usually Stork that was the paranoid one and he couldn't tell why he suddenly felt so uneasy. It wasn't like him to be suspicious without good reason.

_Tink!_

There is was again, just a slight sound that usually wouldn't bother Aerrow...yet it did. What was it?! Rain outside, a bird on the hull...

_ 'Footsteps!'_ Aerrow suddenly realized, his emerald eyes growing wide.

At this, the Sky Knight was wide awake and stood slowly, his hands reaching for the daggers on his shoulders. That's when something sharp prodded the small of his back, making him freeze in place.

"I wouldn't if I were you." a voice growled softly and something hard tapped Aerrow's up raised hands.

"Weapons on the ground, Sky Knight. Now." the voice demanded.

Aerrow grimaced to himself as he slowly removed the blades and threw them to the ground with a thud. How had he not realized that someone was on the ship!?

"Now, turn around. _Slowly._"

The red head complied reluctantly and turned around with his hands still raised. He blinked once in surprise as he saw who was holding him captive. It was the same hooded figure that he had seen in the pub on the repair terra.

"YOU!" Aerrow hissed, narrowing his eyes as he observed his captor.

The tan hood was pulled down low and obscured the figure's face and was attached to a long coat with several buckles and buttons that just brushed the floor. A scarlet, tasseled scarf was pulled up over the figure's lower face within the hood and the ends of the scarf just barely reached the figure's waist. Tips of a pair of slim leather boots could be seen in the waning moonlight that streamed in through the large window behind Aerrow.

He was also able to see what it was that prodded him in the back. A slim, deadly looking sword that glowed with a green aura, obviously powered by the same colored crystal embedded into it's cloth wrapped hilt.

"What is it you want. Obviously something important for you to stowaway on our ship." Aerrow asked, trying to stall as he thought of some way out of his predicament.

"I don't want to hurt you if that's what you're asking. But I needed to be able to get your attention." the voice said from under the hood, sounding hurried.

"Well you've got it now."

At first the figure did nothing but then slowly lowered the sword, the green glow fading from the metal.

"I need the help of the Storm Hawks."

Aerrow started at this, it wasn't what he expected. He had expected to be interrogated about where their stock pile of crystals were or what their next plan was against Cyclonia. Not a request for help.

"And why couldn't you have come to us in the open and in the day time?" he asked, slowly lowering his hands.

There was a single huff of humorless laughter that came from beneath the hood, "I'm not exactly looked upon favorably in most of Atmos." the figure said, the grip tightening slightly on the sword.

Aerrow frowned again, "You're a criminal?"

The figure spun the sword in their hand experimentally, "I like to call myself more of a vigilante."

_'Excellent. A hot headed criminal...'_ Aerrow had to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

"And what is it exactly you need help with?" the red head asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"I need to get something from the Cyclonians. They took something from me...and I want it back."

Aerrow was getting slightly irritated now at how vague this vigilante was being.

"And that would be?"

At this the figure raised their sword once more, this time the glow not forming.

"That...would be none of your business."

"Oh really?"

Aerrow smiled slightly at the voice and looked behind the figure to the hall directly behind them. There stood a smug looking Finn armed with a raised cross bow.

The figure whipped around, the blade flashing green once more as they stepped backwards so they could keep an eye on both Aerrow and Finn.

"And why would we help someone who breaks into our ship and threatens our friends?" the blonde stepped forward, keeping his weapon raised.

The figure was silent once more and simply gripped the glowing sword with both hands.

"Fine...guess we'll have to get the answers the hard way." Finn muttered and fired a glowing blue arrow.

With lightning speed the vigilante lept upwards over the arrow and ran towards Finn, who looked suddenly panicked.

That's when a blue flash stopped the figure in their tracks as the shot passed just inches in between them and Finn.

"You said that you didn't want to hurt us, prove it now!" Aerrow said, his brow furrowing as he raised his glowing blue daggers.

"Just cause I don't want to doesn't mean I won't!" the voice growled like a cornered animal, the figure widening their stance slightly.

"Those Cyclonians need to pay for what they've done and, with or without your help I'll get back what is mine!"

Aerrow tried to think of a way to end this fight before something happened. He didn't want it to come down to a fight but the vigilante wasn't giving him many more options.

"We can help you, but we need to be able to trust you first. Can we trust you?" Aerrow demanded as he stepped around the couch to help back up Finn.

It was then that multiple foot steps could heard clanging down the halls of the Condor. Within seconds Piper, Junko, Radarr, and Stork were running onto the flight deck, weapons at the ready.

"What is going on!?" Piper asked, her tired gaze flashing from Aerrow to Finn and then finally to the figure with the glowing green sword.

"We had an unexpected house guest." Finn muttered, fitting another arrow into his crossbow.

Aerrow refused to take his emerald gaze off of the vigilante, "Can we trust you?!" he demanded once more, for the time being ignoring his team mate's question.

The hooded figure seemed to look between the angry group of Storm Hawks and Aerrow several times, as if deciding if a fight would be worth it or not. Finally, after several tense moments the hooded figure straightened up and sheathed their sword on their back.

"Yes...you can." they finally said, though rather grudgingly

Aerrow was just about tell Finn and the others to stand down when there was a slight chink and then a noise like that of a spring being released. Before Aerrow could blink a large metal claw exploded from the ceiling and within seconds had the figure in it's grasp.

"AHA! Got you!" Stork's triumphant voice echoed over the Storm Hawks as the figure shouted out swears.

"Stork! Why would you do that?" the Sky Knight asked, sheathing his own daggers as the merb trotted towards the struggling vigilante.

"I just saved us from being killed in our sleep! And led us one step closer.. to figuring out who this is!" he said, going right up to the hooded figure and reached out a hand.

"Don't you dare you filthy little liar!" the figure screamed but their cries were unheard as Stork used a single digit to flip back the tan hood.

There was collective gasp around the room as the figure continued to struggle in the iron hand's grasp.

Aerrow stared as a girl, only a little older than himself, sat there. She had dark auburn hair that hung messily in her face except for the tight braid the disappeared under the collar of her coat. A row of three gold hoops lined both her ears as the scarf that had covered her face fell to the floor. She glared around at the Storm Hawks with steely silver eyes that flashed like thunder clouds.

"Let me go!" she demanded, trying to reach for the sword on her back but the mechanical arm pinned her arms to her sides.

"Who are you and who sent you?!" Stork demanded, his eyes narrowing to yellow slits.

"I've already told your fearless leader over there why I'm here!" the girl growled, kicking her booted feet out.

Everyone looked over expectantly at Aerrow.

The Sky Knight sighed, "She says she needs our help to get something back from the Cyclonians."

Piper frowned and looked back over at the struggling girl.

"Why would you sneak on board to ask for help?"

"Again, I've already told him that." she spat, her eyes seeming to glow white hot for a moment.

"Then how about you tell us the rest of your story. We've got all night." Aerrow said, crossing his arms.

"How about you let me out of this damn thing and then we'll talk." the girl shot back, her hands clenching into fists.

The team glanced at one another before Aerrow reluctantly looked to Stork.

"Stork...let her go."

The merb started slightly and looked extremely reluctant to do so.

"Stork..." the red head said slowly, raising an eye brow.

The helmsman sighed and slowly lifted a lever that slowly opened the claws of the giant mechanical hand. With a grumble the girl jumped down in a crouch before slowly rising to her full height, rubbing her now bruised arms.

"That was extremely unnecessary." she growled, flashing a look that could kill at Stork.

"Just like you coming aboard?" the merb shot back, earning him another withering look.

At this everyone looked expectantly at the vigilante before them as she glared at every single one of them in turn.

"For the last time, who are you?" Piper asked, her hand tightening around her crystal staff that she held at the ready.

The girl took a deep breath before crossing her arms, "My name is Deryn."


	3. Chapter 3: The Deal

Storm Hawks: Stowaway

**Here's chapter 3! Again thanks to Penpal678910 for reviewing and if anyone else has any feedback I'd love to hear it :) Godbless – Rin**

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Chapter 3: The Deal

"LET ME OUT YOU FILTHY LIARS!"

Above, on the observation deck, the Storm Hawks were trying to ignore the yells and curses that rang out from below deck. They hadn't gotten any sleep what so ever the past few hours and now the sun was starting to rise behind them through the misty clouds.

Right after they had found out the stowaway's name there had been a few more minutes of fruitless questioning before she had become all but silent. At that point Aerrow had been forced to lead her down into the Condor's brig for the time being. They still didn't know if they could fully trust this Deryn.

"What if she's another Cyclonian spy or assassin? Last time we trusted someone who had tried to kill us, we almost locked Aerrow up forever." Piper said, tiredly rubbing her eyes.

"At least Carter made an attempt to try and seem nice." Stork interjected, his yellow eyes glued to the empty sky in front of the Condor.

Aerrow shook his head, "I don't think she's a spy or assassin, but she's not exactly an ally either."

Junko nodded in agreement, "If she had wanted to hurt us she could have done that while we were sleeping." he said quietly.

There was silence in which everyone nodded as a slight snore escaped from Finn who was almost falling off the table. His head was slowly drooping off of his hand and an impressive drip of drool hung out of the corner of his mouth.

"Finn!" Piper said sharply, making the marksman start violently.

"Huh...wha...I'm up!" he said in a stupor, blinking rapidly as he sat up.

"We're all tired but can you at least make an attempt to engage in this discussion?" the blue haired girl grumbled.

Aerrow sighed and leaned heavily against the table, dark circles already starting to form under his green eyes.

"I think it would be best to keep her down in the brig until we reach Terra Atmosia. From there we can figure out what to do."

* * *

"Damn..." Deryn muttered to herself, slumping back against the wall of the small cell she was in and closed her eyes.

She had tried to ask for help and what had it gotten her? Stuffed in yet another cell while her last chance of help deliberate whether or not to drop her off at the next jail. She wasn't worried about the idea of jail itself, Deryn had escaped several of them, but it wasted the precious little time she had left. She _had _to get to Cyclonia before it was too late. Deryn opened her eyes and looked across the small brig to where her sword and rucksack sat against the far wall...on the other side of the bars.

_'Why did mom even say to ask the Storm Hawks? They're no better than those other goody two-shoes Sky Knight squadrons. What's so special bout them?' _she thought as she pulled her knees up to her chest.

"Mom..." the girl whispered, a frown creasing her face.

For almost another hour she sat in the quiet, the humming of the ship's engines the only noise in the space. But slowly that even died as Deryn felt the ship start to slow down.

The ships shuttered to a stop and the girl flipped her hood forward over her head, awaiting when a group of jail guards or the Storm Hawks would come to bring her in. The minutes ticked by and the girl closed her eyes. Neither guards nor the Storm Hawks came though. The minutes turned into a solid hour by in which Deryn listened carefully, her curiosity peaking as the silence stretched on.

_'Well, this is interesting.'_ she thought to herself and sat back once more against the wall, curiosity starting to take the place of bitterness...just slightly.

_**BOOM!**_

Deryn's eyes flew open just as a huge explosion rocked the ship. The girl had been about to doze off when she was thrown to the floor, she could hear yells over head and the sound of sudden fighting.

"Uh-oh." she muttered and stood quickly, leaning against the wall as the ship rocked again.

The fighting sounded muted through the ships metal walls but the message was clear enough, something had gone wrong. Deryn threw off her hood and rushed to the front of the cell, gripping the bars before pressing her face against them in order to see down the hall

Another explosion went off just as the ship's engines roared into life, the Condor shuttered and then took off. The speed at which the ship moved almost sending Deryn to her knees with the sudden momentum. At that moment there was a sudden wrenching sound and the girl's ears suddenly felt as if they were ready to pop. The air pressure on the lower deck had changed...while they were moving.

"That can't be good." she muttered and strained to see anything in her line of sight, wishing that she had her katana in hand.

A flurry of metallic taps alerted the girl of people running down the hall and she watched uncertainly as shadows appeared.

"Get to the bridge and cut off them off!" a gruff voice yelled as a small group of people ran past the brig.

Deryn turned her head to see through the bars just as several soldiers garbed with a red insignias ran by.

_'Cyclonians!'_ she growled to herself, now really wishing she had her sword.

Again more fighting sounds started up, this time sounding louder, like they were happening right down the hall. There were four loud bangs and frightened yells before suddenly, the form of a beaten Cyclonian fell into the brig's doorway. Knocked out cold. Then, out of the shadowy hall stepped Aerrow with Radarr on his shoulder. The Sky Knight's eyes immediately locked onto Deryn as he stepped over the fallen Cyclonians.

"These your friend come to get you?" he asked, his voice sharp with accusation.

Deryn snarled, "I am not a damn Cyclonian! I don't even know what their doing here." she gripped the bars until her knuckles turned white.

Aerrow shook his head and Radarr growled, "Then how'd they know where to find us?"

"How should I know!? They're Cyclonians, that's their job to try and beat you isn't it?" Deryn growled in frustration.

She knew that she wasn't going to get too far with arguing but the Storm Hawk was being extremely aggravating. Maybe she should try a different tactic.

"If you let me out I could help you!"

Aerrow gripped his glowing blue daggers, "And what? Have you stab me in the back?"

Deryn controlled the growl of frustration clawing at her throat and simply shook her head, "I could have done that last night."

The Sky Knight thought back to earlier that morning when Junko had said almost the same thing. He glanced down at his copilot who shook his head, knowing exactly what his friend was thinking. But Aerrow ignored the warning and walked up to the bars separating himself from Deryn, holding up one of his blades.

"You turn on either me or my team and the only help you'll be getting if off the ship and into a cell."

Deryn smirked, "Aye aye captain."

There was a whoosh as Aerrow cut the heavy lock off of the cell door and it swung open with a slight squeak. The girl stepped out and quickly grabbed her sword and bag off the opposite wall, the blade flaring green as she unsheathed it.

"How'd the Cyclonians get on ship?" she asked, twirling the sword once before sheathing it on her shoulder while Radarr scowled disapprovingly.

"Ambushed us on Atmosia and when we attempted to out run them they tried to commandeer the ship. Right now three of my team are fighting off the skimmers while Stork pilots and I defend against the Cyclonians who make it onto the ship." Aerrow explained, making his way out of the brig with Deryn right behind him.

"Any high ranking Talons?"

"Piper said she spotted Snipe not far off, hopefully he doesn't get a chance to get on board." Aerrow cautiously peeked around a corner before continuing on.

"Excellent." Deryn said sarcastically.

Snipe. She had come across the big guy only a few times and it hadn't been on the best of terms. The big brute might not have been too bright but he was vicious enough for that not to matter too much.

The two red heads and Radarr slowly made their way to the upper deck since Aerrow wanted to regroup with Stork. As they approached, the Sky Knight held up a fist as they came to a corner that led right to the observation deck, his mouth curving into a frown. Deryn peeked over his shoulder and saw the reason for the hold up; Cyclonians had beat them to Stork.

The merb was being held at sword point while Snipe looked appreciatively around the observation deck.

"You've gotta be kidding me..." the girl muttered, her hand closing around the hilt of the sword over her shoulder.

"We can try going around and going through the air ducts. That way we can drop down with the element of surprise." Aerrow said, starting to back up with Radarr before noticing that the other red head wasn't following.

"That'll take too long, Snipe will be able to get control of the ship and turn it on your friends." Deryn said, kneeling and looking at the three Cyclonians and their leader.

Aerrow rolled his eyes, "You have a better idea?"

"Yep." the red headed girl whipped out her sword and pointed it directly in Aerrow's face.

"Put your hands in the air."

* * *

"You sure you can pull this off?" Aerrow muttered, not liking Deryn's plan more and more.

"Shut up Storm Hawk!" the girl growled as Snipe approached, his mace shouldered like it weighed no more than a baseball bat as he glared at their sudden appearance.

"Who are you?" he snarled, looming a good foot over the two teens as he came up to them.

Deryn swallowed the apprehension that rose up inside her and flashed a self satisfied smirk.

"I'm the one that just brought you the leader of the Storm Hawks." she prodded Aerrow in the back with her blade, earning her a sharp glare as he nearly tripped forward.

"Oh yeah? And where'd you come from, don't remember you coming with us." Snipe pushed passed Aerrow so that his pointy nose was only a few inches away from Deryn's face.

She gave a slightly nervous laugh, "I kinda...stowed away. I've been uh, waiting to prove myself to the Cyclonian cause!" she said quickly, taking a slight step backwards.

"Really? And how do I know you're not lying?" he smirked darkly, hefting his mace dangerously close.

"What! Me trick _you_!?" Deryn said with an appalled gasp, and for extra effect put a hand up to her mouth.

"I could never put anything passed the immeasurably clever Snipe. You're just too good." she continued to rattle on, flashing a glance to Aerrow who took this as his que.

The Sky Knight headed towards the back of the turned Cyclonians since Snipe was now distracted.

"Clever eh?" Snipe straightened pridefully as he seemed to think about the word, his mouth curving into a slight grin.

"Oh yes!" Deryn continued, "Ever since I saw you and your battalion take over my terra I've wanted to join! You're bravery and uh...prowess are amazing."

Snipe chuckled, "I am awesome aren't I. It's a wonder Ravess calls me an idiot."

"Oh yeah a _wonder_. He really is an idiot..." Deryn muttered before she could stop herself and quickly covered her mouth, her eyes widening in dread as she prayed that he hadn't heard that.

"Yeah I...wait what was that?!" his preening expression turned to suspicion in an instant as he processed what had just been said.

Deryn froze, _'Me and my big mouth!'_ she thought and gripped her sword.

"I uh...I didn't say anything. Just thinking to myself...you know Cyclonianish...stuff..." she stuttered unconvincingly.

The hulking man didn't buy it at all and raised his mace with a menacing growl.

"Hey Snipe!" Aerrow shouted, his daggers drawn with the three Cyclonians moaning on the ground.

The bulky guy turned, his eyes narrowed in rage.

"You..." he growled and hefted his mace, preparing to charge the red head.

Aerrow simply smirked and flashed a glance at Deryn, "You might want to hold onto something."

The girl took a couple seconds to grasp the meaning of what he had just said but realized quickly why. Just behind him Stork was deviously holding the controls of the Condor and started to twist them. She dove forward out from behind Snipe and lunged for the railing that ran through the observation deck just as Stork yanked on the ships controls, sending it into a dizzying roll.

Snipe yelled in surprise as he was started to slip towards the ceiling, the hatch that Stork usually sent people out of via booby trap opened with a clang. Snipe continued his slide until he slid by Deryn and his meaty hand grabbed her ankle. Stork continued to roll the condor until it had turned a full one-hundred eighty degrees with all of them hanging upside down.

"Let go of me!" Deryn screamed, her fingers slipping from the railing with the immense weight of the muscly guy that clung to her.

"If I'm going down you're comin' with me!" the Talon bellowed just as Deryn's fingers released.

The wind rushed passed the two of them, Deryn kicked frantically but Snipe's grip was too strong and they flew towards the open sky. With one last desperate attempt the red headed girl slashed downwards with her blade and was able to nick Snipe's cheek, earning a roar of pain and he released her leg. The air pressure had already caught them though and Deryn was only just able to grab the edge of the hole as Snipe rushed out.

"Sorry for you, but I'm not a Storm Hawk." she muttered and watched as Snipe fell a few dozen feet before his parachute deployed, halting his deadly fall.

"He has a freaking parachute!" she snarled, clawing at the edge as the wind tried to suck her out as well.

"Need a hand?"

Deryn's head snapped up and she saw Aerrow standing there with what looked like a pair of make shift bat wings strapped to his back and smirk on his face.

"Yes!" she shouted as her fingers slipped some more.

"Yes what?" Aerrow said, the wind making his voice sound muffled.

"NOW!"

The Sky Knight's arm shot out and grabbed Deryn's wrist, jerking her to a halt just as her fingers let go. He heaved upwards and as soon as the girl's feet cleared the opening, the covering snapping shut with another clang. Aerrow carried the red headed girl to the floor as the Condor was righted by a slightly disheveled looking Stork. Once her feet touched the ground she fell back and covered her eyes with her hands, her breath coming in heaves.

"I. Hate. Heights!" she growled.

"Next time you want to teach me a lesson on politeness don't do it when I'm about to fall out of the freaking ship!"

Aerrow smirked, "Call it pay back for poking me with that sword of yours." he said as the gilder wings snapped back.

Deryn sat up slowly and tried to calm her rapid breathing before slowly standing, just as the other Storm Hawks entered.

"Hey! What are you doing out here?" Finn exclaimed, reaching for his cross bow as he spotted the seemingly escaped girl.

The Deryn rolled her eyes but before she could say a feisty remark Aerrow stepped forward.

"It's alright Finn. I'm the one that let her out." he said, earning a shocked look from his team.

"Aerrow!" Piper exclaimed, "She could have tried to escape."

The Sky Knight held up a hand, "Look, she actually helped us today believe it or not. And even if she did break onto our ship..." he paused to flash a glance at the girl who simply stood there with her arms crossed.

"I think we need to at least hear her out now."


	4. Chapter 4: Rematch

Storm Hawks: Stowaway

**Here's chapter 4! Sorry I know it's been a bit since I updated anything really...you can blame being senior for that. Testing, job, college stuff sooooo yeah. I'd love to hear what you have to say about this! Any feedback would be really helpful :) Godbless - Rin**

* * *

Chapter 4: Rematch

"So the Cyclonians took something in exchange that you steal valuable crystals for them?" Piper asked, from across the table, her head resting on her palm, "But after getting chased by Sky Knight squads you left the crystals and decided to come to us for help?"

Deryn simply nodded, her booted feet propped up on the table while she sat stared into thin air. For the past few hours Deryn had told the Storm Hawks much of her story up until the point where she had snuck on board the Condor.

"How do we know that you're not actually working for the Cyclonians?" Finn asked, jabbing an accusing finger in Deryn's direction with narrowed eyes.

She rolled her eyes, "Do you think Snipe would really be able to play it off so well that he didn't know who I was? Especially since he tried to throw me off the ship."

"Oh...maybe." the blonde's shoulder slumped in defeat.

There were a few moments of silence in which the Storm Hawks seemed to be trying to think of more questions to ask.

"And telling us what that thing that you want to steal back would be..." Stork trailed off, his yellow eyes narrowing as he searched the girl's face, distrust still emanating from the merb.

"Still none of your business." she said sharply and blew strand of hair out of her face.

The merb grumbled to himself and walked back to the ship controls while Piper and Aerrow shared a glance.

"Look." Deryn finally said, putting her feet down and replaced them with her elbows.

"I know we got off on the wrong foot and that I don't exactly deserve to be helped..."

She was momentarily interrupted by Stork muttering "No duh." but ignored him.

"I can help you get into Cyclonia without being found but I'll need your help in getting past the inner defenses. After that you're more than welcome to leave me." Deryn looked Aerrow straight in the eye, her silver eyes drilling straight into his.

There were a few moments of tense silence in which everyone, even the less attentive Finn, looked to their leader. Radarr whined slightly as the silence stretched on and on, making everyone feel uncomfortable.

"I think, we have a deal then."

Deryn blinked in surprise, not actually expect the Sky Knight to agree. Aerrow held out a hand and she stood quickly before shaking it.

"Deal."

* * *

"Aerrow do you think this is good idea?" Piper hissed, the two of them slightly set apart from the group so that Deryn couldn't hear.

"I mean we have attacked Cyclonian brigades and took out some squads but...go straight into the heart of Cyclonia alone?"

The red head sighed, "I know Piper, but if what this girl wants back from the Cyclonians is really that important that she would want to sneak back in to get it. Well, that means that the Cyclonians probably want it just as much as she does and that can't be good. What if it's some weapon or crystal that could help them win this war?"

Piper rubbed her hands together nervously, "I guess...we have to be careful though. Even though she hasn't given a sign that she's betray us, I still don't like her."

At this Aerrow smirked, "I don't expect anyone to really like her, but trust is something she's earned for the time being."

* * *

"Sooo...I guess this is where you'll be staying for the next two days, that's how long it'll take to to get into Cyclonia." Piper said rather awkwardly, gesturing to the extra room that they had on board.

Since Starling had since declined to stay with the Storm Hawks the room had simply sat as extra storage and collected dust.

"Thanks." Deryn said simply, walking over to sit on the bed and threw her rucksack to the ground.

Piper didn't know exactly what to do at this point and simply stood by the doorway, "Um...anything you need?"

The red head shook her eyes and looked up, suddenly extremely tired looking.

"No...I'm fine."

The other girl nodded stiffly before turning to leave.

"Wait! It's Piper right?" Deryn asked quickly, trying to at least sound friendly.

If she was going to be spending the next few days with the Storm Hawks she may as well try to make friends.

The girl halted her escape, "Yeah."

Deryn sighed, "I know that I'm exactly welcome here but I really do appreciate the Storm Hawks help. I hope you know that."

Piper seemed startled by this sudden show of pleasant behavior but tried to flash a slight smile, though it came out more like a grimace.

"I hope we can just get this mission over with successfully." she said quietly and then left down the hall.

Deryn started at the empty doorway, feeling very much that she was not welcome aboard the Condor as she kicked off her boots, through her coat to the floor, and lay down on the bed. It was slightly musty smelling and wasn't all that comfortable but she just lay there thinking about the what she had to do once they got to Cyclonia. Mentally she went over the best routes below in the under belly of Cyclonus' castle and all the emergency exits that she had found during her brief imprisonment there.

"Don't worry mum...I'm coming." she whispered, curling her knees up on the bed and waiting for sleep to over come her.

* * *

Deryn regretted falling asleep as she started to wake up. She had never been one to deal with naps well since she got extremely grumpy and always more tired then before she fell asleep. She kept her eyes clamped shut and rubbed a sudden itch that came to her nose.

_'Musty bed sheets...'_ she thought and shifted slightly.

That's when the itch came back, and this time Deryn felt something light brush the tip of her nose.

"The heck..." she grumbled and peeked open her eyes to see two huge yellow eyes staring back.

"AHHH!" she screamed and fell off the bed as the strange lemur/dog things screeched in laughter that echoed around the room.

Another deeper laugh joined in with Radarr's and Deryn looked up to see an upside down Finn clutching his stomach laughing. She stiffly rolled over into a crouch, her silver eyes narrowed to furious slits as she grabbed for her katana.

"What. Are You. Doing!?" she snarled, watching as Radarr scampered over to hide behind the blonde's leg.

Finn, who was still trying to control his giggles wiped his eyes and looked up nonchalantly as the furious red head approached.

"Aerrow told me to get you. He wanted to ask you some more stuff bout Cyclonian defenses." he panted, now noticing that Deryn was raising her green glowing katana.

His impish grin suddenly vanished and he took a step back, "Uh...whatcha doing with that?"

"HELP!"

Aerrow heard the scream before he looked over to see Radarr streaking onto the observation deck.

"What's going on bud?" he asked, standing up from the couch quickly as his copilot motioned wildly behind him.

The red head frowned, "Show me!"

Radarr led Aerrow down two halls of the Condor and down a set of three stairs until they were standing in the open doorway of Deryn's room. At first Aerrow wasn't exactly sure what was going on and stared at the scene before him. The red headed girl had a knee firmly planted on Finn's chest while seeming to try and strangle him with the sheath of her sword.

"Aerrow help! She's gonna kill me!" the blonde gasped out, trying to push the older girl off of him.

Deryn gave a slight laugh, "That's what you get for sneaking up on me when I'm asleep!" she growled.

Aerrow rolled his eyes while trying to hid the smirk that was unfortunately spreading across his face, he half knew that Finn had done something to deserve his current predicament.

"Finn... really?"

The blonde's eyes widened as he saw that he leader and friend wasn't doing anything to help him.

"DUDE! Don't tell me your taking her side!" he exclaimed.

The Sky Knight simply shrugged, "You're the one that played the prank."

Finn gulped and looked terrified at the glaring Deryn who was still holding the sheath under his chin.

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry!" he squeaked, trying to squirm away from the burning gray eyes.

"Aaand?" she growled.

"And...I'll never do it again!"

Deryn sniffed distastefully but slowly removed her knee from Finn's chest and returned her sword back to her back. The blonde quickly got up from the floor and glared at the red head from the safety of Aerrow's side, whom was simply shaking his head.

"All I ask you to do is get her to come to the flight deck and somehow you turn it into a death match." the Sky Knight said and simply got a nervous shrug from Finn.

Deryn ran a hand through her now messy hair and crossed her arms moodily, "What is it you wanted?" she asked, sounding more harsh than she meant to.

Aerrow turned his attention back to the girl, " I wanted you to tell us the best entry point to get to Cyclonian without being seen. We have a few maps that should be able to help."

Deryn took a deep breath before letting the pent up anger start to fade away with one last glare at Finn.

"Yeah, I can do that. As long as no one else tries to ambush me."

"Without trying to strangle anyone else?" Finn piped up, a large red mark forming around his neck.

Deryn raised a skeptical eye brow, "I"ll behave if you do."

"Then let's go." Aerrow nodded and then turned down the hall, Finn and Radarr following close behind.

The red head rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her hair one last time before she went up to the main part of the ship once more. She glanced around the room once at the activities gone on before uneasily stepping forward. Stork was of course at the controls of the Condor and then Aerrow, Piper, Finn, and Radarr were looking at a vast spread of maps and paper spread over a table. The wallop, (whom she couldn't remember the name of) was no where to be seen. She glanced out the large front windows and saw that the sun was already starting to set.

_'Must've slept for quite a while.'_

Deryn felt the eyes of everyone turn to her as she walked in, trying to ignore the narrowed eyes of the merb in front of her, she stood opposite Aerrow and Piper at the table.

"So what is it you want to know exactly?" she asked, putting a hand on her hip.

"You said that you can show us a way to get into Cyclonia without being spotted. Where exactly is that?" the Sky Knight asked, pushing a weathered looking map forward.

Deryn studied the paper for several moments, trying to recognize what parts of the map matched those that she remembered.

"Here." she finally leaned forward put her index finger on the lower right part of the map, just on the tip of the terra's southern point.

"Patrols are supposed to go out every thirty minutes but since this is the southern most point it takes a good hour for patrols to get over to it. In that space of time we should be able to go up into one of the maintenance tunnels with some skimmers and sneak up into Cyclonus' fortress without getting spotted."

"And you know this how?" Finn asked skeptically, though it was hard to take him seriously with the giant red mark on his neck.

"Just cause I worked for the Cyclonians doesn't mean I wasn't a prisoner for a while. A lot of people who work for Cyclonus aren't doing it willfully..." Deryn trailed off as she leaned back.

Piper took the opportunity to quickly change the subject, "And what happens if we don't get out of there before the hour is up?" She asked, looking over the point at which the girl had pointed to on the map.

"The patrols take half an hour or so to complete, depending on who's doing them. We can wait in the maintenance tunnels if we're running late. But the Condor will have to fall back so it doesn't get spotted." Deryn flashed a glance at Stork.

Aerrow was silent for a little while before a determined smile spread across his face, "What do you think Piper? Sound good to you?"

The strategist looked at the maps for a few more seconds before sighing, "As long as what you're saying is correct, the plan should work."

Deryn nodded, allowing herself a slight smirk herself before turning at the sound of heavy clomping footsteps behind her.

"Uh guys. I think we might have a problem." the wallop who had been missing until that moment came trotting up to the group gathered around the table.

"What is it Junko? Another mechanical failure?" the red head asked, his green eyes narrowing.

The wallop shook his head, "Worse. More Cyclonians."


End file.
